Cotton-separator.



PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

W. A. PATTERSON.

COTTON SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION TILED JUNE 25,

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COTTON SEPARATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 25, 1906.

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PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

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W. A. PATTERSON. COTTON SEPARATOR.

APPLIOATION 12mm JUNE 25, 1906.

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WARREN A. PATTERSON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN COTTON SEPARATOR COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORA- TION OF OKLAHOMA TERRITORY.

COTTON--SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1907.

Application filed June 25,1906. Serial No. 323,296.

10 being had to the accompanying drawings,

forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cotton separator embodying the 'features of my in vention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same I 5 with the vacuum box removed; Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through. the separator; Fig. I is an enlarged detail sectional view showing the construction of the ports and valves employed for controlling 20 the admission o'l' air into the separating chamber; Fig. 5 is a transverse sectionalyiew taken at approximately the line 55 cl F 1g. 2, the vacuum box being shown in this view; Fig. 6 is .an enlarged detail sectional view 2 5 showing a portion of one of the air controlling valvesfFig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 7-7 of Fig. 3; and F ig. S is a detail vlew of one of the members 12.

This invention relates to cotton separators,

and the object of my-invcntion is to provide a machine of simple construction which will separate the bolls from the cotton and carry them to dif'lerent points. To this end I have constructed a machine comprising a separat- 3 ing chamber into which the bolls are fed after they have been broken open, and located in this chamber are a plurality oi rotatably toothed members arranged ad acent each other and all rotating in the same direction 40 so that one-half of each member will be carrving the cotton or bolls in one direction while the other half of said member w1ll be co-operating with the member adjacent thereto to strip the bolls from the cotton.

Referring to the drawings which represent the preferred form of my invention, 1 designates the casing of the machine 1n whlch the separating mechanism is located, and 2 designates a vacuum box located over an opening 5.0 3 at the lefthand end of the casing, as shown in Fig. 8. The vacuum box is preferably of the form shown in the drawings, and leadmg into an opemng in one or the side walls oi said box is a tube 4 having a plurality of retary boaters 5 mounted therein. A tube 6 communicating with a blower 7, is arranged at the other side of the vacuum box in alinement with the tube 4, as shown in Fig. 5, and a screen 8 is interposed between these two tubes inside of the vacuum box. The bolls, after they have been picked from the hold, are drawn through the tube 4 by the suction of the blower 7 and as the bolls pass through this tube 4 they are broken open by the retary boaters 5, thescreen S preventing the bolls and cotton from being drawn into the blower 7 so that they drop through the opening 3 onto an endless carrier inside of the easing 1, as shown in Fig. 3. The endless carrier is made up of a plurality of endless belts 9 to which cross slats 10 are secured and said carrier travels on a substantially box-shape member 11 extending the full length and width of the casing 1 and acting as a partition to divide the upper portion of the easing into a separating chamber. A plurality of rotating toothed members 12 are mounted in this separating chamber above the endless carrier, each of said members being made up of a number of toothed disks mounted on shafts 13 and spaced apart to permit air to pass between said disks. The members 12 all rotate in the same direction, and means is provided for forcing the broken bolls or pertions of bells into engagement with these ro. tating members 12 as the bolls are fed into the separating chamber by the endless carrier.. The members 12 are arranged quite close to each other, as shown in Fig. 3, and if said members are rotating in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3 the portions of the members 12 which travel. in the plane at the lefthand side of the central line 15 in Fig. 3 will carry the cotton and bolls up wardly toward the top of the casing and the portions of the members 12 which travel in the plane at the righthand side of the central line 15 will engage the bells and strip them from the cotton, the distance between the members 12 not being great enough to permit the bolls to pass between same.

The means for forcing the bells and cotton into contact with the members 12 consists of air supplied by a fan or from any suitable source and entering the box 11 through a tube 16 communicating with an opening 17 in one side thereof, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. The air escapes from the box 11 through ports 18 and 19 in the top of the box and these ports are preferably located under the members 12 and are inclined, as shown in Fig. 3. As shown in the drawings two ports are provided for each of the members in order that the point at which the bolls and cotton engage said members may be varied, valves 20 being provided for controlling said ports as it is generally necessary to utilize only one port for each of the toothed members 12. The valves 20 are slidinglymounted and each valve has a handle 21 that proj ects through an opening 22 in the side wall of the box and casing, as shown in Fig. 6, the end of the valve being of such size that said 0 ening is always closed no matter what posltion the valve is in.

As previously stated, the toothed disks which comprise the members 12 are spaced apart so that the air which forces the bolls and cotton into engagement with said members can rush to the upper part of the separating chamber and carry the cotton out of the machine through the opening 22 at the end of the casing, the bolls as they are stripped from the cotton dropping onto the endless carrier which conveys them to the discharge opening 23 at the righthand end of the casing. Preferably, a box 24 is located above the three toothed members 12 at the lefthand end of the separating chamber, as shown in Fig. 3, and the bottom wall of said box is provided with ports 25 and 26 and valves 27 for closing them similar to the orts and valves in the box 11. plied to this box 24 by means of a conduit 28 which extends from the side of the box 11 and enters the top wall of the box 24. The ports in the box 24 are also inclined so that the air passing through said ports will tend to force the cotton from the members 12 and out through the discharge opening at the righthand end of the machine.

For preventing the air in the separating chamber from escaping into the vacuum box, a flexible flap 28 is connected to the lefthand end wall 29 of said chamber and lies on the upper surface of the endless carrier, a stripper plate 30 being also connected to said end wall to cooperate withthe member '12 adjacent thereto. If desired, the members 1 2 may be rotated in the opposite direction to that indicated by the arrows 14 in Fig. 3, a stripper 31 being arranged at the righthand end of the casing tow-operate with the toothed member 12 adjacent thereto. The endless carrier travels over rollers 32 and 33, the shaft which carries the roller 32 being provided with a pulley 34 which is driven by a belt 35 that passes over a pulley 36 on the main shaft 37, as shown in Fig. 2. The shafts which carry the toothed members 12 are provided with pulleys 38 and 38 with Air is supwhich belts 39 and 39 co-operate, one of the belts 39 passing over a pulley 40 on the main shaft whereby a continuous rotary movement in the same direction will be imarted to the toothed members 12.

While I have herein shown the toothed members 12 and the endless carrier asbeing driven by belts and pulleys it is obvious that gearing or other actuating mechanism could be used without departing from my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for separating cotton from bolls comprising a plurality of rotating members arranged adjacent to each other and provided with unyielding teeth, pneumatic means for forcing the bolls and cotton onto said members whereby a portion of the teeth of each member operates to move the cotton in -one direction while the other portion of the teeth of said member operates to strip the bolls from the cotton that is being carried by the teeth of the member adjacent thereto; substantially as described.

2. A machine for separating cotton from bolls com rising a plurality of members ar ranged alfjacent to each other and rovided with rigid teeth that cooperate wlth each other to strip the bolls from the cotton, means for feeding the bolls adjacent said members, and pneumatic means for forcing the bolls into engagement with the teeth of said members and for removing the separated cotton therefrom; substantially as described.

3. A machine for separating cotton from bolls comprising a plurality of rotating members arranged adjacent each other and pro vided with rigid teeth that cooperate with each other to strip the bolls from the cotton, pneumatic means for feeding the bolls into engagement with the teeth of said members and for conveying the separated cotton out of the machine, and means for conveying the stripped bolls out of the machine; substan tially as described.

4. In a machine of the character described, a casing having a plurality of rotatable members mounted therein, said members being provided with rigid teeth which cooperate with each other to strip the bolls from the cotton, an air chamber located under said members and provided with air ports through which ets of air are blown for forcing the bolls into engagement with said members, and means for supplying air to said chamber; substantially as described.

5. In a machine of the class described, a plurality of members for stripping bolls from cotton, an air chamber located adjacent said members and provided with ports through which ets of air are blown to force the bolls for controlling the passage of the air through said ports; substantially as described.

6. In a machine of the class described, a plurality of members for stripping bolls from cotton, an air chamber located adjacent said members and provided with inclined ports through which jets of air are blown to force the bolls into engagement with said members, means for supplying air to said chamber, and means for controlling the passage of the air through said ports; substantially as described.

7. In a machine of the class described, a casing having aplurality of members mounted therein for stripping bolls from the cotton incased in said bolls, an air chamber arranged under said members and provided with ports through which jets of air are blown to force the bolls into engagement with said members, an air chamber arranged above some of said members and provided in its bottom wall with ports through which ets of air are blown, and means for supplying air to said chambers; substantially as described.

8. In a machine of the class described, a casing having a plurality or rigid toothed members rotatably mounted therein and adapted to cooperate with each other to strip the bolls from the cotton, an air chamber arranged under said members and provided in its top wall with air ports, and a movable eonveyer arranged between said members and the air chamber; substantially as described.

9. In a machine of the class described, a casing, a plurality of toothed members arranged in said casing and adapted to co-operate with each other to strip the bolls from the cotton, an air chamber arranged below said members and provided with air ports, an air chamber arranged above said members and provided with air ports and a conduit connecting said chambers; substantially as described.

10. In a machine of the class described, a casing provided with discharge openings through which the cotton and the bolls pass, a plurality of rotatable members arranged in said casing and adapted to co-operate with each other to strip the bolls from the cotton which the bolls incase, each ol. said members consisting of a plurality of toothed disks mounted on a shaft and being spaced away from each other, an air chamber arranged under said members and provided with ports through which jets ol" air are blown to force the bolls into engagement with said members and also carry the separated cotton through the discharge opening therefor, means for supplying air to said chamber, and a conveyor for carrying the stripped bolls to the discharge opening therefor substantially as described.

11. In a machine of the class described, means for breaking open cotton bolls, a plurality of members rotating in the same direction and provided with rigid teeth that cooperate with each other to strip the bolls from the cotton, means for conveying the broken bolls to said members, and pneumatic means for forcing said bolls into contact with said members; substantially as described.

12. In a machine of the class described, a vacuum box, a tube communicating with said box and having boaters mountedv therein, an endless conveyor traveling under the discharge opening of said vacuum box, a plurality of toothed members arranged above said conveyer and co-operating with each other to strip the bolls from the cotton, said members being constructed to permit air to pass therethrough; substantially as doscribed.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto allix my signature, in the presence ol two witnesses, this eighteenth day of June 1906.

IVARREN A. PAIT'IERSON.

I/Vitnesses:

WELLS L. CnURon, GEORGE BAKEWELL. 

